This is a group and set of projects dedicated to gathering and sharing static content from Wikimedia projects, including CDs and DVDs, single-file databases for use with specific browsers and readers, and pdf and html exports.

In 2004, the first Wikipedia CD was released, and the concept of WikiReaders for offline printing and reading was refined. In 2006, the Special Projects Committee authorized the creation of a subcommittee dedicated to static snapshots of Wikimedia content, to identify the groups working on such projects, and to help them work effectively together and share their results. This page is derived from those efforts and the work of all who have pursued similar goals.

As of mid-2006, the Wikimedia Foundation served to the world outdated version of static content of Wikipedias (November 2005 snapshot - [1]) and offered the same content for download ([2]). There seeem to be persistent small problems with static content installation (categories,search, perhaps other).

There were plans to set up an up-to-date server with current static content of Wikipedias.

MediaWiki 1.5 included routines to dump a wiki to HTML, rendering the HTML with the same parser used on a live wiki.

There have been several separate attempts at producing software to convert SQL dumps into data formats that are suitable. Directmedia Publishing GmbH in Germany had by then a successful history of distributing Wikipedia content on DVD for Windows and MacOSX (Linux is beta).

In addition to these aggregate selections, there is also need and room for the selection of niche collections: e.g., the creation of articles regarding to Chemistry, India, etc. Some of these are accessible by the independent creation of books via the PediaPress book extension tool on Wikipedia. These creations are independent projects and can be found at Wikipedia:Books.

Kiwix brings internet contents to people without internet access. It is free as in beer and as in speech.

As an offline reader, it is especially thought to make Wikipedia available offline, but technically any kind of web content can be stored into a ZIM file (a highly compressed open format) and then read by the app: there are currently several hundred different contents available in more than 100 languages, from Wikipedia, Wikiquote, the Wiktionary to TED conferences or the Gutenberg library.

We're featuring a quote here from the UN Broadband Commission from their September 2013 report, because it's the easiest, most pragmatic and straight-forward way to show you the importance of disseminating knowledge - and information - offline, complementary to all activities that we do online:
"While more and more people are coming online, over 90% of people in the world’s 49 Least Developed Countries remain totally unconnected.”[1]

Since March 2013, prisoners in the prison Bellevue in Gorgier (western Switzerland) who request it can have access to Wikipedia offline, because Swiss prisoners have very restricted access to the Internet. The idea is to stimulate or to support the interest for education of prisoners who were, for a large majority, condemned to long-time sentences. After a three month pilot phase, the project was proven very successful. Among the 36 prisoners of the Bellevue’s prison in Gorgier, 18 possess or rent a computer. All of them requested the upload of Wikipedia offline on their PC.

The feedback is unanimously positive: it reveals that access to Wikipedia is seen as an improvement of education and/or information activities in jail.

The followup of the project aims to use Wikipedia in the training program of the prisoners. The use of Wikipedia in the classes, the organization of general culture contests, and even the training of new Wikipedia editors. The partnership between Wikimedia CH and the direction of the prison aims to be durable. Wikimedia CH installed the Kiwix files and trained the IT team of the prison, who can now upload the software for every new prisoner who requests. Detention Centers for minors are excluded from this program in Switzerland as they get access to the Internet and don't have the need to access Wikipedia offline.

In 2014, WMCH started to collaborate with the Swiss Insitute for Education in Detention Centers to expand the coverage of Wikipedia offline in prisons all over Switzerland.
As of May 2014, all prisons in the German-speaking part of Switzerland have access to Wikipedia offline, thanks to the Swiss Institute for Education in Detention Centers.

Canada, Germany, the US, France, Belgium and Italy (jail in Pavia, where a Kiwix server runs in a dedicated computer room, led by http://www.informaticisenzafrontiere.org) also have similar projects in prisons that involve Wikipedia offline.

"At SOS Children, we wanted to bring this fantastic resource to children without internet access around the globe. So we began work on an ambitious project to get the very best content from Wikipedia into a self-contained selection which could be distributed on a CD. We checked every article for child friendliness and structured the content around the national curriculum. Today, Wikipedia for Schools is in its fourth incarnation, and the new version is ready to go - this time on USB. At EduWiki 2013, we will show you how the project has benefited students and teachers here in the UK, and in countries across the developing world. With the help of others, we have distributed copies globally, and we have had an amazing response from the people who count. In the UK, Wikipedia for Schools has been a great classroom companion for students and teachers alike.” [2]

Mesh Sayada[3] is a collaboratively designed and built wireless network. The town of Sayada is located in Tunisia. The network serves as a platform for locally-hosted content, such as Wikipedia Offline in Arabic and French thanks to Kiwix software, free ebooks and Open Street Maps. The Mesh is serviced and maintained by a local NGO, CLibre[4] with the help of local volunteers.

There are many ways to participate and to work with us in order to develop the Kiwix - Wikipedia offline project. The following list features many topics where help would really be appreciated:

Translate: the Kiwix user interface is translated into more than 100 languages. We still have some more work to do here: see translatewiki:Translating:Kiwix to help.

Share: Kiwix has a broad user community - we need to care for it and share news. See below to become an ambassador;

Deploy: if you want to deploy Kiwix anywhere, let us know! You can also file for a [Grant] with the Foundation.

Develop: if you are a coder, feel free to join us on GitHub - /OpenZim for scrapers, and /Kiwix for the app itself. Look for tickets labeled "Good First Issue" (to get started) or "Help wanted" (for real challenges).

As an ambassador, you are going to spread the word about Kiwix in different ways:

Mention Kiwix when talking about Wikimedia: e.g., add a slide about Kiwix when making a public presentation about Wikipedia. If you are interested in giving a talk at a meet-up or conference or organizing a Kiwix event, Stephane (Kiwix) can provide you with slides, flyers and other material you might find useful. Don't forget to add the Category:Kiwix presentations at your uploaded file on Commons.

The Ambassador program lists people who are familiar with both Kiwix and a language-related project: they will try to assist with questions and requests for presentations. An ambassador is a trusted volunteer that has been vetted by existing ambassadors and/or their local chapter. Contact them if you need help!

Style guidelines for each project should be written down, for the benefit of projects to come after them. Coordination across projects of aspects such as script writing can also be quite helpful -- in catching mistakes and corner cases, and in avoiding repeated effort. Some specific ideas follow.

Just as for the online resource, the offline versions of Wikimedia content are only as strong as their contents. The main constraint with an offline product is the data size restrictions: the entirety of Wikipedia (and/or other Wikimedia projects) must somehow be condensed so that it fits on a CD, DVD, or USB stick which then has to be housed on a computer, mobile phone, or e-reader. The goal of carefully selecting content, then, is to provide the best and most appropriate static content.

The goal is:

To provide a library of the highest quality and most relevant offline content collections.

This implies having content options most relevant for the different offline audiences. Many factors must be taken into consideration, including

Created in partnership with PediaPress, the Wikipedia Book Creator enables users to easily select specific articles from Wikipedia and create a book. This "book" can then be downloaded for free in PDF or openZIM format, or for a fee the content can be ordered as a physical book.

The Schools Content project page shows the list of articles included in the distribution, and provides a workspace for suggestions for adding articles.

Some articles are excluded from the collection as they are non-appropriate / essential for schools. A list of such articles intentionally excluded by OLPC can be seen here: http://mad.printf.net/blacklist2.